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Army Ranks
Since Loaded March is a military fic, we read a lot about different ranks and levels of security. Hopefully this helps clarify everything. Ranks from Lowest to Highest The easiest way to explain this is to send youhere. Ranks in Loaded March From Bob's Livejournal : "I never explicitly learned what the requirements were to qualify for SAS training and testing, and while I'm sure the information is out there, I based the minimum requirement on what I already knew about the US Army Special Forces requirements. Since the USAF Special Forces origins can be tracked back to their own multi-discipline Delta Teams and the British SAS, I figured it was enough of a foundation to base it on. That minimum requirement -- and I'm glossing over the details here a bit, or this would turn into a long post -- is that the soldier must have a minimum rank of Sergeant, must have the recommendation of their squad or squadron leader, must pass minimum fitness, and must be among the best in their specialty or division (i.e., Infantry, Scouts, Paratroopers, etc.). There are other requirements, too, like a certain level of education, maybe knowing more than one language... but that's not the question that I was asked. The question's what everyone's rank is and what the structure is within the team. I'm getting there, I promise. I mentioned that the minimum rank is Sergeant. So how does a team made up largely of Sergeants figure out its leadership structure? Easy. They duke it it. No, no. I'm kidding. Seriously, though, the foundation of both the training and the purpose of a special forces unit is based not only on specialized skills, but in that each individual can step up and take command. Where and when they take command might depend on who's with them at the time, what the situation is, and whether it calls for someone's special skills. In my head, when the team is out in the field, everyone, absolutely everyone has the potential to be in charge. That every member of Excalibur defaults to Arthur as their leader has actually very little to do with his official rank and everything to do with Arthur being particularly suited/hardwired for command. It just happens that his special skill comes in recognizing that he's not always the best person to lead in every situation, and in making full use of the advantages that every individual brings to the team. In this universe, all SAS teams operate in a similar fashion, depending on the personalities that belong to a particular squad. Each and every member is qualified to take charge -- and they do. On paper, yes, there's an "official" command structure. In the field, with bombs blasting all around them and it's a full-on combat situation with troops advancing on foot against superior numbers while the tanks rumble behind them, Kay is going to be the one to step up and start barking commands. He might have the lowest rank of anyone on the team (still a Sergeant, though, but a different class), but he can tell his Captain to stand the fuck down, and Arthur will do it. Arthur won't even argue because he knows that Kay has been in these situations more often than any other member of the team, and he was an infantryman for a full tour, working his way up from the very bottom of the pile where his friends had gotten a step up when signing on from coming in with a shiny university education under their belts. Really, having superior rank? There are benefits besides being the guy in charge. Better pay. Better pension. Better benefits. But there's drawbacks, too. Number one is the mind-numbing paperwork you have to deal with. Paperwork is a curse word that we all know and love, and it's also the second, third and fourth (and eleventy hundreth) drawback in the whole deal of having shiny butterbars on their uniform. You've probably noticed that Arthur, Leon, and sometimes, Perceval all got stuck with the paperwork in the early parts of LM. This is why. Merlin, Lance, Gwaine (and to some extent, Perceval), got out of it a lot because they were assigned additional duties outside of the team -- with cryptography and communication (Merlin), the medical unit (Lance), overwatch (Gwaine), and munitions (Perceval). You can get each member's specialties from the LM Wiki (which I provided), but for the rank and chain of command? Here it is, in order of authority, with the topmost being, obviously, in charge, and groupings indicating similar rank: Captain Arthur Pendragon Lieutenant-Commander Leon Cross Lieutenant Merlin Emrys Lieutenant Perceval Dane Lieutenant Lancelot (Lance) Dulac Lieutenant Gwaine Taggart Sergeant Geraint Keynes Sergeant James Galahad Sergeant Gareth Mallory Sergeant Bohrs Hellswege Sergeant Aidan Pellinor Sergeant Daniel Bedivere Sergeant Julian Lamorak Sergeant Owain Yates Sergeant Gael Lucan Sergeant Kay Lawhead" Classfied Info/Security Clearance There are levels of classified information and security clearances. Classified Info From Wikipedia: "The system uses five levels of classification, supplemented with caveat keywords:The keyword must be placed in all capital letters in the centre of the top and bottom of each page of a classified document. In descending order of secrecy these are: ;Top secret :Information marked as Top secret is that which whose release is liable to cause considerable loss of life, international diplomatic incidents, or severely impact ongoing intelligence operations. Prior to the Second World War, the highest level was "Most Secret"; it was renamed so that the UK and US operated to a consistent system. ;Secret :This marking is used for information whose side-effects may be life-threatening, disruptive to public order or detrimental to diplomatic relations with friendly nations. ;Confidential :The effects of releasing information marked as Confidential include considerable infringement on personal liberties, material damage to diplomatic relations, or to seriously disrupt day-to-day life in the country. ;Restricted :Information marked as Restricted is at a level where the release of the material will have effects such as significant distress to individuals, adversely affecting the effectiveness of military operations, or to compromise law enforcement. ;Protect :Such information will cause distress to individuals, cause financial loss or improper gain, prejudice the investigation or facilitate the commission of a crime or disadvantage government in commercial or policy negotiations with others. ;Unclassified :The term "UNCLASSIFIED" or "NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKED" may be used in UK Government documents to indicate positively that a protective marking is not needed." :To learn more click here :